Tallahassee – The bishops of Florida delivered a letter to Governor Charlie Crist urging him to stop executions in Florida, beginning with the July 1, 2008 scheduled execution of Mark Dean Schwab.Click here for full text of letter.

While praying for the victim, Junny Rios-Martinez, and recognizing the inability to fully grasp the pain experienced by the victim’s family, the bishops lament that taking the life of another who has killed perpetuates violence as a solution.

“The Lord commands us to forgive, just as our heavenly Father has forgiven us. It is only through the process of forgiveness that we are healed and our suffering can be alleviated,” said Bishop Victor Galeone, Episcopal Moderator for the State Pro-Life Coordinating Committee of the Florida Catholic Conference and bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine

The bishops call on Governor Crist to set a new standard of respect for the sanctity of all life in our state. Sheila Hopkins, Associate Director for Social Concerns/Respect Life, said, “More and more states in our nation are taking a second look at the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment. Over the years, studies within our own state have reported an inequality and inconsistency in who receives a death sentence”.

"War is a scandal to be mourned every day. We see war in the newspapers ever and we're used to reading about it: the number of its victims is just part of our daily accounts. We hold events to commemorate the centenary of the Great War and everyone is scandalized by the many millions of dead. But today it's the same... instead of one great war, there are small wars everywhere. When we were children in Sunday School and we were told the story of Cain and Abel, we couldn't accept that someone would kill their own brother. And yet today millions kill their own brothers and we're used to it: there are entire peoples divided, killing each other over a piece of land, a racial hatred, an ambition.

Think of the children starving in refugee camps... these are the fruits of war. And then think of the great dining rooms, of the parties held by those who control the arms industry, who produce weapons. Compare a sick, starving child in a refugee camp with the big parties, the good life led by the masters of the arms trade. And remember, that the wars, the hatred, the hostility aren't products we buy at the market: they're right here, in our hearts. The Apostle James gives us a simple piece of advice: 'Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.' But the spirit of war, which draws us away from God, doesn't just reside in distant parts of the world: the spirit of war comes from our own hearts."

- Homily given by Pope Francis at the Casa San Marta on February 25, 2014